Electromechanics on the Nanometer Scale: Emerging Phenomena, Devices, and Applications

Abstract

AbstractCoupling between mechanical and electrical phenomena is ubiquitous at the nano-and molecular scales, with examples ranging from piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity in perovskites to complex molecular transformations in redox active molecules and ion channels. This article delineates the field of nanoelectromechanics enabled by recent advances in scanning probe, indentation, and interferometric techniques and provides a unified outlook at a number of related topics, including membrane and surface flexoelectricity, local piezoelectricity in ferroelectrics and associated devices, and electromechanical molecular machines. It also summarizes experimental and theoretical challenges on the pathway to visualize, control, and manipulate electromechanical activity on the nanoscale and molecular levels.